Stopharage

O’Hora with a masterclass in bamboozlement.

Where’s David Ornstein when you need him?

It’s important to remember that we may have lost the game, but we ‘play football the right way.’

I think what’s really great to see about our play is that we don’t panic when we’re on the attack and instead take 45 touches before deciding to have a shot. Inspirational stuff.

I’m convinced that no matter who we have as manager, human bombscare Luke Thomas will only be dropped if he does an Adam Johnson.

Are we totally convinced that Russell Martin isn’t a conceptual performance artist rather than a manager?

3-2 Martin redemption win incoming. As I typed that Okoli heads straight over the bar.

They need to have a severe punishment, like being made to play in the Scottish Premiership.

I think it’s really sad and nasty that so many supposed ‘fans’ are mocking Wout and this transfer. It’s every footballer’s dream to secure a transfer to <checks tweet> Shabab AlAhli Dubai FC. For all the naysayers, I’m going to quote Joe Dolce ‘Shabab-a ya face’

It’s not like Thomas to be in the wrong place.

For anyone enduring the Barnsley commentators, this game is also on Sky Sports +2.

Thomas with an assist and a player removal. Undroppable.

McCarthy really is diabolical with his feet. He’s an absolute bombscare whenever the ball goes back to him.

What on earth is going. We look like 1970 Brazil. No doubt in the second half, we’ll look like Brazil in the 2014 semi-final against Germany.

Fantastic goal. I’ll repeat last week’s post. Half of FoxesTalk put their foot through their tv as Cullen scores.

The pain of playing some poor players is lightened somewhat by having Lundstram as Captain. Thought he was very good last game, mostly in giving directions to some of our more brainless individuals. If he can sort Faes and Thomas out, I’d buy a timeshare from him.

I think the best offer we will get is Neil Lal backed by Klarna.

Some great recommendations above. Stoner is superb. To describe what its about would make it sound unduly mundane but it’s a book that will totally stay with you. I’d recommend anything by Donna Tarrt, one of the great modern writers. Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman is the best book I’ve read in years - does so much with so with little. Nearest thing I can liken it to is the game Elden Ring. Heaven splits as war abounds and this has a momentous impact on three people trying to survive during the black plague. It’s amazing. Pretty much anything by Colson Whitehead, especially The Underground Railroad. Zeitoun (and kids if his other stuff) by Dave Eggers - he’s very accessible. I get through at least 50 books a year and read a lot of factual stuff too - Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City is a true story of two amazing people in Chicago at the end of the 19th Century. One is creating the World Fair - bringing exhibits of people, animals and inventions from around the world. The other character is a serial killer who uses the huge influx of people to the city as his prey. It’s great. See also Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe and Bad Blood by John Carreyrou.

He looks like he’s playing in a different time zone.

Half of FoxesTalk put their foot through the TV as Cullen scores.

I’m not defending Martin, I just think football has moved on from when the likes of Ferguson and O’Neill were given time rather than facing the sack after poor starts. It really isn’t that difficult to comprehend. Pointing out that the patience the board showed towards O’ Neill wouldn’t be afforded In modern football isn’t a defence of Martin. I’ve made my criticisms of Martin pretty clearly.

Just because others have the same issue, it doesn't negate it being an issue for him either. He may well lose the next 5 games and get the sack then; and I can't say I'd be surprised if that was the case; but I just don't think getting rid of a manager after 5 league games is a decent enough crack of the whip. Loads on here disagree and that's fair enough. By the same logic, this place would have been calling for O'Neill's head when he failed to win any of his first 9 games in charge and only 3 of his first 16. And look how his tenure turned out.

I have some sympathy for Martin. He’s had to deal with a ridiculous amount of player upheaval - both incoming and outgoing. He’s at a club where the atmosphere was pretty rotten and the relationship between fans and those running it is at an all-time low. I also doubt he was given real insight into how much funds were available and was dependant on outgoings before he could bring players in - as a result he went for players he knew. He clearly has one approach to playing and it’s utterly remiss of the board and grossly negligent of them to have failed to foresee what would happen. This start was so predictable. You can’t play out from the back when your keeper is diabolical at passing and the CBs often treat the ball as if it has Ebola. For Martin to put the pressure of that style on a group of young players is negligent too - you are expecting to be caught out occasionally but with the hope that more positives than negatives come out of it. But individual mistakes can really hamper a young player’s confidence and development. He’s got to show that he can tactically adapt throughout the game. It’s clear so far that he’s made some poor substitutions and I can’t say I trust him to avoid criticising the players. If, and it’s a mighty if, he can show humility here there’s a chance of improvement. I don’t think he should go though. Yet. I’d give him another 5 games. We don’t really know how the international break might affect us but it might actually do us a favour if BDCR bogs off. We’re 3 points off the play-offs, which shows you how poor this league is. We need to start playing a settled team, which should be easier now the window has closed. However, this continued scattergun approach just won’t do.

Martin is going to get a performative red at the final whistle as he moans about the lack of a red card earlier in the game, just see he can really hammer home the excuse he's going to keep banging on about.

Well I think we can categorically say we've now hit rock bottom. Off to buy some Bon Jovi tickets.